Division 1, Sectional 4: First Look

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the very best teams in the state -- Wisconsin Lutheran and West Allis Central -- headline the list of 18 schools grouped into Sectional 4 of the WIAA Division 1 field. <br><br>Both members of the Woodland Conference, two-time defending state champion Wisconsin Lutheran competes in the Western Division of the league while West Allis Central moves this season from the Western Division to the Eastern Division. So there is no regular season contests between the two juggernaut teams. Interestingly, West Allis Central has an enrollment of 1,089 students, which would place the Bulldogs in Division 2. But coach Dave Mlachnik for the last couple of seasons has petitioned the WIAA to play up a division so the Bulldogs will compete in Division 1. Wisconsin Lutheran, normally a D2 program as well, will compete in D1 for the second straight season due to the WIAA success formula rules. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Players in Sectional 4</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1552512' first='Zavier' last='Zens'], 6-7, Sr., F, Wisconsin Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2045256' first='Yusef' last='Gray Jr.'], 6-4, Sr., G, West Allis Central<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2140949' first='Kager' last='Knueppel'], 6-9, Jr., F, Wisconsin Lutheran<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2371700' first='Deuce' last='McDuffie'], 6-6, Jr., G/F, Milwaukee King<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2194435' first='Max' last='Jones'], 6-4, Jr., G, West Allis Central<br><strong><br>Five Breakout Performers in Sectional 4</strong><br>[player_tooltip player_id='2411140' first='Kevin' last='Pittman'], 6-10, Sr., C, West Allis Central<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2500826' first='Jacob' last='Misslich'], 6-4, Sr., G, Franklin<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2224533' first='Silas' last='Bolton'], 6-4, Sr., G/F, Kenosha Indian Trail<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2399934' first='Michael' last='Lewis'], 6-1, Jr., G, Racine Case<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2504214' first='Ja'Quan' last='Turner'], 6-4, Soph., G, Oak Creek<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Five Teams in Sectional 4</strong><br><strong><br>1. Wisconsin Lutheran</strong> -- Winners of 58 of its past 60 games and WIAA state champions in Division 1 in 2025 and Division 2 in 2024, Wisconsin Lutheran again will be a formidable opponent as Zens, Knueppel, junior [player_tooltip player_id='2412809' first='Riley' last='Walz'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2613959' first='Kinston' last='Knueppel'] lead the way.<br><strong><br>2. West Allis Central</strong> -- The Bulldogs are loaded with talent, led by Gray, an Iowa State recruit and one of the top contenders for the Mr. Basketball award along with Zens and several others. Jones, Pittman and improved juniors [player_tooltip player_id='2141478' first='Isaiah' last='Fox'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140893' first='Caiden' last='Davis'] form a strong nucleus. <br><br><strong>3. Racine Case </strong>-- Five starters return and although the Eagles lack great size, they do possess strong athleticism and depth. Lewis had an outstanding spring/summer and leads the list of returnees after averaging 11.2 ppg and 5.0 rpg as a sophomore. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2500847' first='Michael' last='Farr'] (6-0), Maceo Collins (6-4), [player_tooltip player_id='2422319' first='Kadyn' last='Williams'] (6-1) and [player_tooltip player_id='1879574' first='Myles' last='McEwen'] (6-0) also return. <br><br><strong>4. Franklin </strong>-- Tyler Podoll has built a consistent winner at Franklin as the Sabers have won 170 games against 84 defeats during his 10 years as head coach. More success could follow in 2025-26 led by the return of Misslich, an outstanding shooter with good physical strength. <br><br><strong>5. Oak Creek </strong>-- Oak Creek moves from the up-tempo Southeast Conference to the more half-court Classic Eight this winter and the change could lead to a few growing pains. Still, coach Eric Hollow has a talented and hungry squad led by the considerable talent of Turner, one of the state's top sophomores. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2636875' first='Noah' last='Daniel'] (6-0) and [player_tooltip player_id='1561955' first='Joey' last='Carini'] (6-0) along with junior [player_tooltip player_id='2140987' first='Tyson' last='Busch'] (6-0) also will play pivotal roles for the Knights.<br><br><strong>Sleeper Team</strong><br><br><strong>Milwaukee King </strong>-- King went 16-10 a year ago under coach Doug Lewis with a very young team. He welcomes back one of the state's premier juniors in McDuffie, a versatile wing who owns a NCAA Division I scholarship offer from Wisconsin. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2371706' first='Caesar' last='Bond'] (6-5) and seniors Quincy Mckinnie (5-10) and [player_tooltip player_id='1561926' first='Bryce' last='Samuel'] (6-3) also will be top players for the Generals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->